John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856-1925 London) Claude Monet Painting by the Edge of a Wood, 1885 Oil on canvas 21-1/4 × 25-1/2 in. (54 × 64.8 cm) Tate: Presented by Miss Emily Sargent and Mrs Ormond through the Art Fund 1925 Photo: © Tate, London, 2015
Best known for commissioned portraits of Edwardian-era high society, American painter John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) also depicted artists, writers, actors and musicians from his own social circle. “Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends,” which debuted at London’s National Portrait Gallery, gathers more than 90 paintings of famous acquaintances—Auguste Rodin, Claude Monet and Henry James among them—and reflects Sargent’s travels throughout Europe and the United States, particularly to Boston and New York. Such friends, who connected the artist with the international avant-garde, prompted some of his most intimate and experimental images.
Pictured: John Singer Sargent: Claude Monet Painting by the Edge of a Wood, 1885, oil on canvas, 21¼ by 25½ inches. Courtesy Tate London.
Note: This entry appears in the Museum Previews section of Art in America’s August issue, the 2015 Guide to Museums, Galleries and Artists.